


If I See You Again Tonight (I’m Afraid of What I’ll Find)

by anomeganeyatsu



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Explicit Language, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, SHEITH - Freeform, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-17 05:11:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8131705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anomeganeyatsu/pseuds/anomeganeyatsu
Summary: He’s here. His mind whispered both in disbelief and conviction. Shiro’s here





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on the first episode with Sheith vision. he-he. Expect most of the dialogue to be taken from the pilot episode. Also, the title was taken from a song by Sleeping with Sirens called Stomach Tied In Knots. I’m not sure why I chose it, but I’ve always been crap at writing titles so I guess the first thing that popped in my head was the only option I had. I do hope you enjoy this. I do apologize for the mistakes. This is un-beta’d.
> 
> Disclaimer: All characters belong to DreamWorks Animation. I own none of them.

His hands were shaking. It’s been a long time since they last shook this bad. Been so long since he felt this nervous. This anxious. This _scared._ His heart was beating too fast in his chest, squeezing too painfully inside his ribcage, pins and needles piercing through it and if Keith didn’t know that this pain was psychosomatic, he could have sworn he’d be bleeding on the floor.

_He’s here._ His mind whispered both in disbelief and conviction. _Shiro’s_ here.

He was watching him sleep right now. Watching the way his brows furrow and his face scrunch up in obvious pain as he dreams of whatever horrors he might have gone through in the whole year he’s been thought de— _no, missing_. Shiro had gone _missing_. He didn’t— He wasn’t— Keith had to close his eyes, slowly breathe through his nose and shakily let it out through his mouth. He _wasn’t_ going to cry anymore. He’s done that already. He was through with that. He needed to get his head together and focus on the matter of helping Shiro, of figuring out what the hell had gone wrong and what in the world they were supposed to do now.

His blue-grey eyes subconsciously glanced at the bulletin board hidden under the dusty dirt colored tarp. _Right_ , this wasn’t exactly normal. Keith was far from a believer in the supernatural, but he did understand that what was going on here wasn’t what you would call under the realm of the natural. Something had called him here, something had brought him to that cave, to those markings. He’s studied them, investigated them and from what he had learned, something deep within him told him to take action. When the arrival had happened, he didn’t expect what he would be facing, _who_ he would be facing.

Keith had almost broken down, lost focus at the task he had set upon himself, when he realized who it was strapped and unconscious on the medical bed. Seeing Shiro for the first time in eleven months, thirty days, twenty-three hours, fifty-nine minutes and fifty-five seconds, Keith had to take those precious seconds to take a step back. To breathe and shove all his emotions down and down to that place and lock them up. There would be time to let himself feel them, but not now. He had to get Shiro out of there.

Keith planned to reach the shack, lay Shiro down to rest and wait for him to wake up as he finally let the tears he’d been holding to fall. But then those three showed up, almost messing up his escape plan, and tagged along. Normally, he would have told them to _fuck off_ but he didn’t. He had no time to argue with them. So when they got outside and they started piling up on his hover bike, he just let them. They’ll talk about it when they aren’t being chased by the Galaxy Garrison.

But now, seeing them in the shack — the annoying cargo pilot dozing off in a corner, the big guy reading a little notebook, and the girl pretending to be a boy fiddling with her stuff — if Keith were honest with himself, the five of them together felt right. As if this was supposed to happen. That the arrival the cave markings were speaking of wasn’t just about Shiro crash landing hundreds of yards outside the Galaxy Garrison. But of them. The arrival of all five of them in one place. Of them meeting, like some preordained event the stars and whatever had orchestrated.

But the three of them being here, came with the need for Keith to stop feeling. To wrap, shove and lock every ounce of emotion he needed to feel along with the other jumbled mess in that place again.

He wasn’t going to show them how weak he feels. How vulnerable he was at that minute and every single moment since Shiro’s disappearance and his recent arrival. He doesn’t even know who they are. And he didn’t need them to know how rattled he was. How his world seemed to be spinning too fast that he couldn’t keep up. How he needed to hold himself together so he wouldn’t crack and break in a thousand pieces like he did last time. Because once he let a sliver of those emotions out, everything would come crashing down on him and he couldn’t stop it. It was hard putting himself back together, not when he only had himself as help — no calming words, no soothing hands, no warm arms, no Shiro to hold onto — and he didn’t have the time for it.

There were far more important things to think about.

Keith sighed and looked at Shiro again. He could have said he didn’t recognize the older male with how much he’d changed in a year. But that would be a blatant lie. He’d recognize Shiro anywhere, even if it’s been a year since the last time he saw him. This was still Shiro after all. Despite the shock of white hair, the scar on his face, or his robot-prosthetic. He’s grown taller too and bulked up, but even without that, Keith could feel the power radiating from him, the strength that he had always associated with Shiro. He’d always seen Shiro as strong — in body, mind, and heart. He was warm and bright like the sun and gave off this energy that seemed to brighten everyone up. Especially Keith. But he could also feel that it dimmed a bit. And the reason to that lies in the time he had spent away from home.

He felt his clasped hands tighten as something hot surged inside of him. Curling and unfurling as it snapped and prowled, growling and flicking its tail menacingly — eager to pounce and devour its prey. _Anger,_ his mind supplied. _This._ This he could let himself feel. Anger for whoever or whatever had taken Shiro. Anger for keeping him away. _Rage_ for the things that they’ve done to him. _For hurting him._ Keith was going to make them pay. He was going to make them suffer. He was going to _destroy_ them. And he was going to make it happen, make sure of it even to his last dying breath.

Because no one, and he means _no one_ , ever touches _his_ Takashi and gets away with it.

His ears twitched when he heard a groan escape from Shiro’s lips. Dark thoughts were momentarily forgotten as he perked up and waited patiently. Shiro’s lids fluttered as he slowly blinked them open and when his eyes met Keith’s, the raven almost felt his heart stop as Shiro mumbled, “Keith?”

_Shiro. Shiro. Shiroshiroshiroshiroshiro._ _Taka—_ Keith bit hard on his inner cheek as he felt ready to jump and wrap himself around Shiro. It effectively brought him back to his senses and abort the action. He could taste the blood in his mouth but he didn’t care. He couldn’t believe he almost said his name, almost did something stupid. He needed to calm down. Needed to get himself under control. Shiro just woke up, he’d be disoriented and Keith didn’t need to overwhelm him. He ignored the screaming need to get closer to Shiro, to touch him, to kiss him, to just _hold him._ But Keith clamped an iron vice on the desire. Instead, he gave him a small smile and replied, “Hey, great of you to finally wake up.”

Keith ignored how shaky his voice sounded and tried to swallow the lump that seemed to have trapped itself in his throat. He didn’t know what kind of face he made. But Keith was sure it must have been weird with the way Shiro was looking at him right now. As if he was debating if Keith was mentally stable or just downright awkward. He couldn’t fault him in that. Keith wasn’t one to smile a lot. He couldn’t even remember the last time he smiled. Probably when Shiro still hadn’t left for the Kerberos mission. His smile right now could have looked more of a grimace based from how Keith’s lips twitched, facial muscles unpracticed for such an expression, and wanted to drop back down into his usual emotionless straight-line. Or probably the small always there frown.

“W-What—” Shiro coughed, his voice sounding hoarse. “—happened?”

Keith shifted in his seat and turned around, unable to look for too long into Shiro’s eyes. He grabbed a bottle of water from the tiny coffee table behind him. He twisted the cap and handed it to Shiro who was gingerly sitting up. “Here, you must be parched.” He couldn’t stop fiddling with his fingers. A nervous habit he avoided to show to people but tended to make when he was around the elder. “I—” he stopped for a second remembering the other three who he could feel were looking at them. “We got you out from there,” he quickly amended. Even if he did most of the work, it felt wrong not counting them in the effort.

Shiro realizing that they weren’t the only two there, looked around and caught the eyes of the other three occupants. He drew the bottle of water he was drinking away from his lips and swallowed. “Oh, uh. Hi?” he said blinking.

And the action was just so _Shiro_ that Keith couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes and shaking his head a bit. He stood up from his seat to stretch his legs and release a bit of the nervous energy thrumming in his veins. “I- I got some change of clothes but I’m not sure they’ll fit you.” _Anymore,_ he mentally added.

Shiro brought his eyes back to him and there’s something shining in them that Keith could only guess as gratitude. “Yeah, I’d like that.” Keith nodded words dying in his throat before he could even try to speak them. He walked to the small closet in the corner and opened a drawer. He quickly grabbed a few articles not giving anyone a second to even get a peek of what was inside. It was something private and something that was potentially slightly embarrassing to let them know he had kept some of Shiro’s things. Or that some days he wore them and some nights slept in them when he needed to pretend that Shiro was there and everything was all right. He closed the drawer and brought it back to Shiro. Keith gestured his hand to a door on the other side, “There’s a bathroom over there where you can change.”

“All right. Thanks,” Shiro answered as he accepted the clothes. He pushed himself up from the couch he’d been sleeping on. Keith was ready to catch Shiro when he swayed on his feet but Shiro raised his hand to stop him and steadied himself. He took in a few deep breaths and shook his head. “I’m okay,” he said and straightened up to walk towards the direction of the door Keith pointed out. Shiro looked entirely too eager to get rid of the clothes he was wearing. Keith wouldn’t deny that the tights emphasized the fine lines of Shiro’s strong muscled arms but the worn tattered dark violet shirt told Keith a different story. Wherever Shiro had been, he didn’t have a pleasant time there.

Keith clenched his fists as he felt that surge of pure hate rise inside of him again. He needed to get out of here. Needed to breathe. Even for just a bit. So twisted on his heel and walked outside. Ignoring the calls of the other three of where he was going.

* * *

He came back into the shack a few minutes later to find Shiro nowhere in sight. Panic immediately washed over him because _nonononononono I just got him back why would you—_ but his thoughts were cut off when the big guy noticed him and said, “He went out to get some fresh air.”

And Keith blinked, willing the burning from his eyes away, and said, “Oh. Okay thanks.” He prevented himself from bolting right out of the room and forced himself to calmly step back and walk to where he soon spotted the lone figure standing and watching the sun rise.

Keith let out a relieved breath and began to make his way towards Shiro. His mind was instantly thrown into turmoil at the realization that finally, _finally,_ they were alone. Maybe now, _just maybe_ , Keith could finally get some answers. Finally know what happened that led to Shiro’s disappearance. But it also hit him that he could touch Shiro without the eyes of three other cadets. That he could have a moment with Shiro without being judged.

No one really knew of his and Shiro’s relationship. It wasn’t forbidden but it also wasn’t encouraged. But with Keith being the other party, they would surely have blown a gasket about it. Keith knew he wasn’t well-liked by the instructors or the other students. He was a trouble-maker, clearly had problems with authority figures and had discipline issues. They didn’t want him ruining the Golden Boy of the Galaxy Garrison. But if they knew who exactly started their relationship, those idiots would be crying their hearts out.

As he was a few steps away from Shiro, Keith wanted to wrap his arms around the taller male. To bury his face at the space between Shiro’s shoulder blades. To breathe in his scent and just feel the warmth that Shiro always radiated. And bask in the fact that Shiro was really here. That he isn’t going anywhere. But there was something telling Keith to not do any of those things. To keep himself in check and refrain for now.

The thought’s been there from the instant he saw him. It’s been gnawing at his mind for the past hours. Wrapping its slimy fingers around his throat and heart and whispering sweetly in his ear.

_How can you be sure if Shiro still_ wants _you anymore?_

And wasn’t that just the candle to his fucking cake.

They hadn’t seen each other in a year. _A year._ And Shiro’s obviously changed, to what extent Keith’s not sure, but it’s still a fact that Shiro wasn’t the same as before. Shiro’s been through a lot in that year and it was impossible for it to not leave him a changed man. Keith could see it in the way he held himself. The worn look in his eyes. The way his muscles were coiled too tight as if he was ready to spring into action in any given minute. The way he subtly scanned the shack for points of exit. How he glanced at the others’ hands to see if they were holding or hiding something. Keith knew what a scarred person looked like, someone who’d been through a lot of pain enough to grow mistrustful of every person and viewed them as someone who could potentially hurt them. Keith _knows_ because _he_ was one of those people himself. If he hadn’t met Shiro, he wouldn’t have started to have a different outlook on life. He would have gone from bad to worse.

And seeing Shiro like this, to only be able guess what he could have gone through. To what lengths Shiro might have been pushed through to finally crack and turned him into this. Seeing the evidence and still knowing without a doubt that there was more hidden beneath those layers of clothes, more hidden beneath the façade Shiro was holding for the world to see. It hurt. It physically hurt Keith.

He wanted to touch Shiro, to kiss him and tell him he was here. That no matter what Keith was going to be there for him, that he wasn’t going to leave Shiro and he’ll be whatever Shiro needed. But he didn’t know what to do because he wasn’t sure if Shiro still wanted him the same way. Just thinking about it… it made Keith’s heart squeeze painfully in his chest and he couldn’t breathe. So Keith shook his head and erased the thought from his mind. He just had to wait. Let Shiro make the first move. Let him take the lead because it was only Shiro who would know what he wanted for himself.

So as Keith stretched his hand out, he stopped himself from reaching for Shiro’s hand and placed it instead on Shiro’s shoulder. At the touch, Shiro immediately turned to look at him. Looking startled at first but face immediately softening into a smile when Keith gently said, “It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to _be_ back,” he replied with a soft exhale. Keith let his hand stay for few more seconds, waiting to see if Shiro would place his own hand on Keith’s like he usually did and twine their fingers together. But Shiro’s hand remained where they were and Keith slowly let his hand slide away.

“So what happened out there?” he asked. He tried not let the pain show on his face, to not think about what just happened and what he realized in those precious seconds. “Where,” he paused as his voice broke a bit but pushed through, “were you?” Shiro wasn’t looking at him and there was no sign he noticed anything was amiss with Keith.

“I-I wish I could tell you. My head’s still pretty scrambled.” Shiro’s brows furrowed as he tried to recall what happened. “I was on an alien ship, somehow I escaped. It’s all a blur.” He turned towards Keith his voice colored with surprise, a bit of amazement and disbelief as he asked, “How did you know to come save me when I crashed?”

And Keith knew that at that moment, he wouldn’t have time to think about things. “You should come see this.”

* * *

“You— are the worst… pilot… ever!” Keith shouted as he held onto the seat, ignoring with his utter best the arm that Shiro had wrapped around his waist to support him with or the fingers digging into his hip or the fact that he was leaning onto him.

Keith still couldn’t believe that there was an actual gigantic Blue Lion robot in the cave he had been investigating the past months or that it was letting Lance pilot it that very minute. It was crazy. It was unbelievable. It was downright catastrophic if Lance was going not going to stop with the damn spinning because Hunk was turning green and Keith was worried the guy was going to throw up.

“Isn’t this awesome?!” Lance asked them, voice dripping with childish glee.

Hunk staggered closer to Lance, hands grabbing purchase on the seat and the dashboard. “Make it stop.” He gasped as he tried to breathe and stop the urge to hurl. “Make it stop!” he begged.

“I’m not making it do anything. It’s like it’s on autopilot.” The Lion jumped and the boosters activated making them shoot up higher.

“Where are you going?!” Keith questioned as he stepped away from Shiro and grabbed hold on the dashboard and seat instead.

“I just said it’s on autopilot” Lance shot back exasperated. “It says there’s an alien ship approaching earth. I think we’re supposed to stop it.”

And from there the situation became far more serious. They left earth, saw and attacked an alien ship, were chased at the edge of their own solar system and jumped through a wormhole. Being pressed into the cockpit’s door due to the force and speed the Lion was going through, Keith wasn’t even aware that Shiro’s hand was on top of his or that the elder twined his fingers against Keith’s. As they exited the wormhole Keith almost hit his face on the back of the pilot’s chair when the force pushing them back suddenly disappeared. He gathered his bearings and peered at the screen in front of them, only to be greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar planet. His attention was suddenly taken though when Hunk started throwing up in a corner. He felt sorry for the big guy. But he also had to look away if he didn’t want to throw up himself.

After another argument with Lance, being reminded that they were a team and Lance’s disgusting display, they finally arrived at the place the Lion had brought them to. It was huge which was expected since it was, indeed as Lance stated, a castle. They disembarked form the Lion and entered the castle when the Lion opened it up for them. Keith had been trying to put some distance between him and Shiro, stopping himself from standing too close to him or placing himself beside the taller male. But he still he found himself doing so. It was as if Shiro possessed his own gravitational pull that kept drawing Keith to him. They wandered the castle and found themselves being led by lights to somewhere deeper within the building.

It didn’t take long to reach the place and there, they met Princess Allura and Coran and finally got themselves on the same page — Voltron, Zarkon, the Galra Empire, planet Altea’s destruction, sleeping for ten-thousand years, and the missing Lions. Keith thought they’d get some rest before being thrown into action, but as if the world hated him, the ship’s system alerted them of a Galra Battleship tracking them. Allura had tasked them to find the other Lions in order for them to be able to form Voltron. The others set out to retrieve the Yellow and Green Lion, while Keith was left behind to wait for the Red Lion to be found.

He’d almost forgotten about his problem with Shiro, mind too focused on the fact that there are aliens who were out to kill them now. That he wasn’t just another teenager who’s been kicked out of school. He’s not lost anymore. He had a purpose. But all those thoughts were washed away in just mere seconds — a single touch, a simple look, a few words. That was all it took. He placed a hand on the shoulder that Shiro had touched. Brows furrowed, teeth chewing on his bottom lip. He closed his eyes forcing himself to forget.

But it burned. It burned with the warmth as if Shiro’s hand was still there. It shouldn’t have been possible. Not through the layers of his clothes, especially since it was Shiro’s prosthetic that had touched him. But the metal didn’t feel cold. It radiated with warmth like Shiro did and it thrummed with a certain energy that Keith could feel coursing beneath it.

This was driving him crazy. Shiro was driving him crazy. Every time Shiro touched him a new chink appears on Keith’s armor. But as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t reciprocate. Not in the way he wanted to. And he knew, understood, that the touches Shiro were giving him could only be called friendly and nothing else. There was no other meaning to it for Shiro, no ulterior motives. So Keith could only endure.

He wanted this day to be over soon.

* * *

“I’m coming with you.”

Keith’s eyes immediately locked onto Shiro. “What?” the words echoed in the halls, dripping with absolute disbelief.

“I remember where the prisoners are held,” Shiro continued and he turned his gaze towards Keith. The raven’s brows scrunched up in worry as he waited for Shiro’s words. “Keith, you go find the Red Lion.”

“By myself?” He couldn’t believe this was happening. They were in a Galra ship. One where Shiro was brought to the moment he’d been captured. He’d said it himself. And he wanted to go wandering in search of other prisoners? _Is he an idiot?_

_No! Why are you leaving me like this? You could get captured again! I’m not los—_

“Minor change of plans,” the elder told him placing his hand on his shoulder the third time. “You’ll be fine.”

_No, I won’t! Not with you running around this damn ship without me to watch your back. I’m not gonna lose you again!_ Keith wanted to scream but he bit his tongue and let Shiro speak. Reminding himself that Pidge was there and Shiro wasn’t alone, that he wasn’t entirely incapable of taking care of himself. Between the three of them right now, Shiro was probably the only one who would fare far better in a fight. So he had to trust him.

“Just remember, patience yields focus. So—” A door hissed open nearby catching their attention and Shiro gently pushed him to the other direction with only one instruction. “Run.”

So he does.

He ran from the panic. He ran from the fear. He ran from the possibility that he might lose Shiro once again and he wasn’t able to do anything about it. Because _he wasn’t there_. And he ran from the simple truth that he couldn’t always be there when Shiro needed him.

But he did realize one thing. He’ll be damned if that wasn’t gonna change.

* * *

_We actually did it._ Keith thought panting, head bowed as he tried to just breathe. Weak on his knees, he stumbled as a hand patted him on the back.

“We did it,” Shiro declared with a smile. And Keith took off his helmet, sweat trickling on his face as his eyes met Shiro’s with a tender smile.

“Heck yeah, we did.” He was glad they survived. He was almost sure that it was going to be there end, and he really did mean it when he said that it was an honor flying with them. And that if they did die, Keith comforted himself with the thought that they did it fighting. And though it would be their last moment together, Keith was happy, that at least Shiro was there. That he had him by his side.

But succeeding in forming Voltron, beating the Sendak and his battleship, and being able to live another day with Shiro — he was glad. Happy. Relieved.

“H-How did we do it?” Shiro had asked in incredulity. They’ve been staring at each other, _still staring at each other_ , long enough to even call it gazing. And as much as he wanted to, Keith couldn’t look away. He was waiting for Shiro to do so, but he wasn’t moving either. Keith’s heart had been steadily increasing its pace, and he knew it had nothing to do with the leftover adrenaline from the fight earlier. If Hunk hadn’t said anything, Keith was sure they wouldn’t have looked away and let himself drown in those charcoal orbs.

He was relieved at the same time disappointed that Hunk had interrupted. Relieved because if Hunk hadn’t Keith would have done something stupid. Disappointed because maybe if he let Shiro see, even just a glimpse, maybe he’d make a move. But Keith was beginning to lose his tight strenuous hold on his emotions. The jumbled mess he’d kept locked away was beginning to push on the door. Wanting to be let out.  Demanding to be felt. And Keith refused to breakdown in front of his team. So he pushed through. Letting the others speak and keeping his mouth shut in fear that he would let out a sound he would regret.

So when they’re finally allowed to rest, when Coran finally led them to their rooms, when the door hissed closed and he’s finally alone. Keith slowly slid down against the door onto the floor and finally let himself feel.

The hot tears his been holding back for god-knows-how-long finally fell. His shoulders shook as he sobbed and whimpers escaped his lips. Because Shiro’s back. He’s _here_.

_But he doesn’t remember._

_He_ doesn’t remember _at all_.

Keith’s just Keith to him. Not _his_ Keith. _Never his Keith._

And it hurts. _It hurts so fucking much._ He thought he was never gonna see him again. Never gonna hear his voice again. Never going to feel his touch again. Never taste his kisses. Never be looked at with those eyes that shone with the only love Keith had ever come to know. Never be held or covered in the warmth and security that Shiro always seemed to have for him.

Takashi’s forgotten _him_. Forgotten _them_.

And why? Just why did this have to happen? The pain hot white burning and searing his very being the same way it did when he'd first let him feel the loss of Takashi. Of months and months of trying to find out what happened in that damned Kerberos mission because Takashi would never make such a mistake. That “pilot error” was a damn lie and why were they pinning the blame on Takashi? He was gone as much as the crew was. And it was just impossible. Something must have gone wrong and it wasn’t Takashi’s fault. He was angry that they had done that to him. After praising him, naming him the best pilot and them being damn proud of him, then they fucking turn their back on him. Forever tainting his name with that one failure that he hasn’t even done.

He stopped eating. Stopped sleeping. Stopped feeling. And focused on just one point: _find Takashi._

But a month after finding the shack, of moving the meager stuff that he owned, he opens one notebook and a photo slips out. And it’s him and Takashi. In it, he was still sleeping, face half-hidden onto a pillow and Takashi’s holding the camera. His face was pressed on and nuzzling Keith’s cheek. A soft loving smile etched on his lips.

And the words he said that morning when Keith sleepily blinks his eyes open to look at Takashi, rise unbidden in his mind. “ _I love you._ ” And remembering it right now, the soft words whispered on his skin as lips capture his own in a gentle kiss. It fuels the freezing fire of pain inside of his heart. Leaving him cold and numb. No warmth, no love, no—

Takashi.

_Takashi._

“ _Takashi._ ” Keith remained unaware that he had been calling out the name as his hands gripped his heart. Body trembling as it was racked with increasing sobs. “I love you. I love you. _I love you,_ ” escape his lips. And he was stupid to think that not seeing Takashi was the hardest thing in the world. Was the worst feeling he could ever experience.

But he was wrong.

Having him here. Having him so close. To have him stand next to you. To have him touch you. To speak to you. To look at you. And _you could only do nothing_. But to stand there and take it all in and pretend that you’re not being ripped to pieces because you _can’t_. Because you had to hold back. And it was the hardest thing to do. Because you want and _you want_ and **you want**. But had to deny yourself. To refuse what you want most in the world even when they’re just there for their own sake. To protect them. To let them heal at their own pace.

Because yes, it hurt. But it wasn’t Takashi’s fault that he’s forgotten about them. It was never his fault. Keith didn’t want to force him to remember. Didn’t want to force himself on Takashi. Didn’t want to cause him more pain. He’s already been through enough. If forgetting helped him get through, so be it. Keith will just endure. He’ll stay by his side and silently love like before. And just wait. He’ll wait for him to remember. He’s already done it for a year. What could a few more mean?

Now though, he’s promised to protect him. He was gonna do his damnest to make sure nothing happens to Takashi. That _they’ll_ never hurt him _ever again_. He’s going to come for those Galras. And he’s going to get rid of _every_ _last one of them_.

So as he wiped his tears away, as he regained his breathing and picked up the shattered pieces of himself and putting them back together with glue and tape. Keith tugged his jacket off and hugged it close to himself. It was the last gift Takashi had given him before he left for the Kerberos mission. And though his heart still ached, he let himself hope. _Takashi will remember. He promised._

Exhaustion running deep in his weary bones, Keith finally let the darkness of sleep cover him. And the last thing he saw in his mind was the image of Takashi’s smile and his warm charcoal eyes gazing at him just a few hours ago.

-FIN-


End file.
